Ultimate Guide to Recording Meetings with Wave

Wave can capture a meeting four different ways. Which one you want depends on three things: whether a bot in the participant list is welcome, whether you'll even be in the meeting, and what platform the meeting runs on. Here's each method and when it's the right call.

1. Meeting bots

Wave sends a bot that joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams call as a visible participant. It records video and audio, and you get a playable recording, transcript, and AI summary when the meeting ends. There are two ways to send one.

From your calendar. Connect Google or Outlook Calendar on the Meetings tab (Calendar in Wave Desktop, Calendar Connections on the web). Your upcoming events appear with a per-meeting record toggle, or you can flip Auto-Record All and Wave joins everything on your calendar. See connecting your calendar and recording calendar meetings.

From a link. Paste any Zoom, Meet, or Teams URL and Wave sends a bot to that meeting — no calendar required. See recording any meeting by link.

Either way, the bot appears under the name you choose. Set a default in Calendar & Bot Settings → Bot Name, or override it per meeting when you send a bot by link.

Best for: meetings you can't attend, interviews, training sessions, internal calls where recording is expected, and anything where you want the screen share captured.

The tradeoff: everyone sees the bot in the participant list. That's a feature when recording is already standard practice, and a problem when it isn't.

2. Wave Desktop

Wave Desktop (macOS and Windows) records your microphone and your computer's System audio at the same time, so it captures both sides of any call playing through your speakers — Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack huddles, a webinar, a YouTube video. Nothing joins the meeting and no one is notified.

Click Start recording before the call starts and Stop recording when you're done. You can add Notes and take a Screenshot of anything on screen while it runs, and both are saved with the session. If you've connected a calendar, Wave pops up an Upcoming Meeting prompt about two minutes before each event, with a Join Meeting button that also starts the recording, so you don't forget.

Best for: recording without changing how the meeting feels, platforms Wave's bot can't join, and one-on-ones where you want to stay present.

See Wave Desktop and desktop audio setup.

3. Phone dial-in

If the meeting has a dial-in number, place the call from Wave's Keypad on the Phone tab. The call goes out from your verified number or your dedicated Wave number, and the whole conversation is recorded and transcribed. Already on the call? Record an Ongoing Call rings you back from the Wave Phone Bridge so you can merge the two calls and record from that point on.

Best for: conference bridges, remote interviews by phone, and any call that doesn't happen in a browser.

See recording phone calls with Wave.

4. Your phone in the room

For in-person meetings, open Wave, tap Record, choose Audio Recording, and set your phone down. Wave records through the phone's microphone and transcribes it when you tap Finish.

Best for: in-person meetings, coffee chats, and anything happening in front of you.

Important: because it records through the microphone, you can't use it to capture a Zoom or Meet call running on that same phone. For virtual meetings, send a bot or use Wave Desktop instead. See recording on your phone.

Which one should you use?

Whichever you pick, the result is the same: the session lands in your library, transcribed and summarized, synced to every device you use Wave on, and searchable alongside everything else. Recording laws vary by state and country — make sure you have consent before you record.